With food as with nations, diversity is a strength

Flacos Tacos is just one of many off-the-beaten-path examples

WE ARE at a very vital junction within our society, and we face a complete overhaul of the way we look at the world around us. Specifically here in the United States we have grown accustomed to trusting the system and remaining asleep while detached from the inner workings of the system, which is where things get away from their initial intention.

Liberty, justice, and the opportunity for freedom is what made America such a great place to exist in and fight for. Which is why so many people, from all corners of the world, escaping religious persecution and societal oppression, believed in the American Dream; promising everyone a chance for a new life.

This bag of goods we’ve been sold is the only reason our cities have been supported in their growth and development, and also why our metropolitan streets drip with culture as we create these melting pots of diversity.

click to enlarge

Food has always been a large vessel of opportunity for those who traveled here in search of a life of freedom, and alongside those recipes came a boat load of tradition. Greed has murked the waters, even though we are drinking as if everything is as it should be.

Corporate consumerism doesn’t provide our communities with the juice we need to chase that American dream that we were promised when we arrived. But born from the darkness of chain restaurants and fast food, has been this revival of “mom and pop” shops, whose veins are filled with tradition. Many of them opening here in Savannah and the surrounding area.

I get a lot of recommendations for places to check out, and recently I asked some people I know if there were some spots I needed to make sure I didn’t miss; and I definitely got a lot of material.

Personally, I love places that people don’t know about. It’s like have a super juicy secret that everyone around you has no clue about.

But, unfortunately, my job requires me to point you all in the right direction when you are looking for something to fill your bellies with; which explains my present conundrum. I shall push through this selfish moment, and let go of the goods.

Let’s not all rush here at once though. So, if you take a trip down to Pooler, not the new one filled with outlet malls, but the original old Pooler off Highway 80, you will run into some spots you might not find anywhere else.

Specifically, if you know what turns to take, you will run into a hole in the wall that you can smell before you pull into the parking lot; and I promise there is no exaggeration there.

click to enlarge

Flacos Tacos is the real effing deal, I can’t stress that enough. Im salivating all over my keyboard as I think about these delicious soft pockets of intense flavor, but I’ll keep it together for the sake of my laptop.

I mean, a literal hole in the wall has literally the best tacos I’ve ever had in my life. Carnitas, marinated pork, fried fish, grilled chicken, pulled pork, combined with the perfect accents, are what put this place over the top.

Nothing fancy, it’s not complicated, and the simplicity in the flavor profiles are so incredibly delicious, it’s almost hard to understand. Everything is fresh and intentional, and is created to represent a culture and its traditions.

We need a reason to get out of our daily boxes filled to the top with normal. We need to try new things, experience new culture, and put ourselves in other people’s shoes.

Unfortunately, in order to experience those things, we might have to drive to Pooler or the surrounding areas, because Savannah as we know is all about trying to scrape a dollar.

Which is why all of the gold usually remains in the hands of a few in our city. It’s not hopeless, but the more chefs I speak with, the more I hear about Pooler.

click to enlarge

Our locals are desperate for this. We will drive to Pooler for lunch if need be. You can’t fake authenticity, and that is what we are hungry for. We are hungry for our identity.

As we support these restaurants and families, we are honestly sparking a chain reaction of positive reactions that influence our city’s growth. Tacos are definitely top five favorite foods in the states, and we would have never experienced this food had it not been for the families who came to America chasing that promise of freedom.

We are a great country because we are a melting pot of every country, not because we are separate. Let’s keep stirring that pot, people.